Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Tomé.
Hi Michael, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a Miami-born native and have been a tour guide since 2011. It’s what I was born to do, and those who know me recognize the name—The Guidefather.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been captivated by stories and their ability to transport us. Whether through the pages of a book or the magic of the stage, I understood early on that everything has a story—and a why. To connect with a story is to time travel, to discover, and to live the impossible through inspiration.
The idea for my business, Guidefather Tours, was born from my personal journey to become the best tour guide I could be. At 21, I became a guide by chance—just a job to help pay the bills and help my family get by. I had struggled to find work until a friend connected me with Conway Tours, one of Miami’s major operators at the time. They had recently ventured into the double-decker bus tour business, and getting paid to use a microphone? It fit like a glove.
I soon realized that storytelling didn’t just shape the vacations of the visitors on my bus—it shaped their perception of my city. It had the power to change lives, including my own. I threw myself into the craft, refining my skills, earning countless five-star reviews, and quickly rising through the ranks. Being up there on the top deck of an open topped bus, 14 feet in the air also made me look at my city with a completely different set of eyes. I had never seen Miami like this before – i was in love with my home all over again.
I learned different languages, such as Portuguese and Italian, inspired by the guests who would exit my tours and express their appreciation for how clearly and deliberately I spoke. Their gratitude motivated me to bridge the language barrier, allowing me to connect with them on a deeper level and share my knowledge more directly. I began working part-time with SMS as well to supplement my pay and practice my newfound language skills.
I eventually even became a Pirate Tour Guide (my beard helped), when I took up another freelancing job on the famously successful Pirate Duck Tours which sadly ended due to a vessel catching fire.
After nearly a decade of grinding through corporate tourism at Big Bus, however, I found myself at a crossroads. I had spent years guiding others through Miami, yet I yearned to explore the world myself. Just as I was about to leave everything behind for a career at sea, an unexpected offer changed my course—Big Bus Miami invited me to manage their cruise sector.
Miami, the cruise capital of the world, welcomes more passengers through its terminals than any other port on the planet. While it wasn’t the adventure I had originally envisioned, it was progress—and a pay bump that allowed me to stay home and continue supporting my family. I accepted and began working directly with the cruise ships on behalf of Big Bus.
While many of my fellow guides were masters in their own right, I noticed a fundamental problem—some lacked passion for storytelling. For some, the microphone was just a spotlight. For others, guiding was simply a paycheck. Too many had become complacent, going through the motions instead of embracing the opportunity to create meaningful experiences.
Soon, I was offered the role I truly desired—Tour Guide Sightseeing Manager. At last, I had the vantage point to enact real change. I was entrusted with over 20 guides of different backgrounds, styles, and levels of expertise. All tour-related questions, challenges, and training fell to me. In mentoring my fellow guides, I became something more than a guide myself—I became The Guidefather. The one people turned to for guidance, expertise, or even a favor.
But expertise alone doesn’t make a great guide. There will always be historians who know more facts. Simply making people laugh turns you into a clown, while reciting information without heart turns you into a lifeless encyclopedia. That’s when I realized—tour guiding is an unrecognized art form.
Mastery in this craft isn’t just about historical accuracy or presentation. It’s about improvisation, charisma, the ability to breathe life into the Past, Present, and Future. A true guide lifts the veil on the seemingly mundane, revealing the magic hidden in plain sight.
While The Guidefather was just a playful moniker to start with it became who I am, and the thrust of my business name Guidefather Tours, which aims to empower people with a passion for stories, encounters, and the unseen. This is what it means to be a Guidefather—someone who transcends the role of guide to become a next-level storyteller. Someone who doesn’t just show people a city, but immerses them in its soul, in its identity, and history.
After COVID, Big Bus cut all of its guides in favor of robotic, cost-saving, pre-recorded headsets—the standard model for corporate sightseeing tours. In response, I shifted to the walking tour domain, returning to my roots in Little Havana. I launched a walking tour of the Latin Quarter, which quickly propelled me into an unexpected yet deeply fulfilling period of growth. No longer confined to delivering a condensed narration from a bus speeding at 40 mph, I could now connect with guests on a more personal and immersive level than ever before.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
By no means has it been a smooth road — nothing has challenged me like building my own business. After being cut loose from Big Bus Miami due to corporate downsizing brought on by the pandemic, I remained indoors and jobless for far too long, just like many others. Yet, life had a peculiar way of timing things when I finally felt the calling to create my own tour experience. One that reflected my work ethic, values, and guiding principles — all forged during my years spent in the trenches.
I had no guidance, but as a Little Havana resident — pandemic or not — I noticed that people were still walking Calle Ocho, and they clearly weren’t locals. Inspired to slow things down to a walking pace after grueling six-day workweeks atop a double-decker bus, exposed to relentless sun and rain for ten years, I launched Guidefather Tours as its sole tour guide. It took overcoming many hurdles to reach the five-star product we regularly sold out of — The Little Havana Walking Tour. Despite everything I had already learned about the neighborhood, there was still so much I didn’t know — even as a Cuban American — about the Cuban story and Little Havana’s place in the larger story of Miami. I had to teach myself by studying the neighborhood by foot, through books, videos, and by shaking hands with the rich and poor alike who give Little Havana its character.
Making the right connections when starting from zero was another major obstacle. I had no neighborly ties and limited knowledge of the landscape, having only experienced the beaten paths visible from the roof top of a bus. Still, I felt it was critical to uplift the local establishments — especially the lesser-known ones. I never asked for kickbacks, as so many guides unfortunately do — only that businesses allow me to bring my guests, so they could experience the area’s true charm. I wanted my guests to share in the friendships I built through visiting these places so often. Balancing my commitment to providing five-star experiences while keeping the tour affordable wasn’t easy, especially since I initially priced it at just $15.
Yet, this level of authenticity was instantly embraced. After receiving my first 100 five-star reviews, I realized the tour had been significantly underpriced. After taking the tour, guests would often suggest that I raise the price given everything that was included in their experience. Witnessing the direct impact I had on visitors reignited my passion for storytelling and opened my eyes to even greater possibilities. Through gradual, modest price increases — and with the unwavering support of my greatest partner, Jocelyn Gonzalez — The Little Havana Walking Tour truly blossomed into one of the neighborhood’s most popular walking experiences. Competitors often reached out to poach me before I grew too fast since I was conducting the tours by myself two times a day, by popular demand.
One major obstacle that stands out was my experience with a project called Azucar the Experience, which ultimately failed. In 2023, the management of the historic neighborhood Tower Theater shifted hands from MDC to the City of Miami due to its expiring lease, sparking political tensions that left the community divided. The venue, once operated as a celebrated hub for independent films and cultural events, was rebranded by the city as a general exhibition space, leading to widespread protests. Around the same time, a major new exhibit featuring artifacts from legendary Cuban singer Celia Cruz was introduced, inspiring me to develop a tributary tour that celebrated her spirit throughout Little Havana.
I invested heavily in creating a special route, curating stops tied to her legacy through murals, music, and local landmarks. Guidefather Tours collaborated with passionate locals to design promotional materials and even produced a music video to launch the experience.
Unfortunately, the project became entangled in the area’s political disputes given the theater’s new management and their rival businesses also operating staple establishments in Little Havana . When I presented promotional flyers featuring two local businesses with ties to opposing sides of the conflict, theater management objected, warning that it could be seen as political favoritism. Despite fully funding the project myself, I was prohibited from using the materials I had created and invested in.
This was an enormously difficult hurdle to overcome as an entrepreneur on the way to growing Guidefather Tours. Meanwhile, the other business warmly supported the effort, helping keep the spirit of the tour alive. Although the experience was disheartening, I stayed committed to my vision: using the legacy of an artist who rose above politics to help unite the neighborhood and offer visitors a heartfelt and timeless experience. I dreamed of respecting Celia’s legacy of transcending politics and bringing together both sides of Calle Ocho. Even though the project sold well in the beginning, and received much interest from locals and visitors alike, its growth was ultimately stunted and eventually it faded away before it truly took off.
As a small business owner, one of the ongoing challenges I face is figuring out how to scale sustainably while making sure my marketing really connects with the right audience. I’m also constantly working on building the right relationships and finding opportunities to collaborate with other local businesses that align with my values and goals
We’ve been impressed with Guidefather Tours, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Guidefather Tours is a premier Tour Operator and Tour Guide Organization dedicated to setting the highest standards in the industry. Our mission is to craft unforgettable experiences that blend compelling storytelling, expert guides, and rich cultural immersion—elevating tour guiding into a true art form by rallying together the best of the best in the industry for the true exchange of knowledge and expertise.
We specialize in a wide array of tours, from hands-on experiences like cigar rolling, food tastings, and graffiti spray painting to expansive, panoramic city excursions. Whether catering to corporate groups, cruise passengers, or solo travelers, we ensure every guest receives a uniquely tailored experience. Our tours span various modes of exploration, including buses, bikes, boats, Segways, e-bikes, walking tours, open-top double-deckers, in-depth cultural talks, and even virtual site visits. No matter the format, our goal remains the same: to deliver the most engaging and authentic tours possible.
I am most proud of our vast network of talented guides who trust Guidefather Tours to connect them with the perfect clients. Each of our guides brings a unique style to their craft, yet all adhere to our high-quality standards—ensuring historical accuracy, a keen awareness of current local events, and an effortless charisma. Our guides are not just knowledgeable; they are masterful storytellers with tested and trained improvisational skills, allowing them to engage any audience with authenticity and ease. It is this dedication to excellence and adaptability that sets Guidefather Tours apart, creating experiences that are as dynamic as they are unforgettable.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Guidefather Tours is a fantastic resource for finding a mentor in the way of learning all there is to know regarding Miami and the art of tour guiding.
On a more philosophical level, finding a mentor is one of those tasks that are only achieved by already being so immersed in the task of honing your craft independently that “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear”
Guidefather Tours seeks to redefine what it means to be a tour guide, elevating the role beyond a mere job description and into a lifelong craft. We believe that the best guides are not just well-spoken narrators but passionate explorers of their own backyards. True mastery comes from embracing an ever-curious lifestyle—one that transforms guiding into an art form, reflecting the depth and vibrancy of the environment we introduce to our guests.
For this reason, it is essential not just to read about the places we discuss but to experience them firsthand. Walk the streets you describe, taste the foods you recommend, and step into the museums that hold the stories you share. A tactile connection to the culture we present allows for a deeper, more authentic engagement, enabling us to weave narratives that are not only informative but truly immersive. While being a Guidefather is a guide rank that is achievable within our company culture, I also believe it to be the very spirit of learning and curiosity itself which can guide and mentor you as well.
It is because of this philosophy that i believe mentors are best found in places that your intuition leads you to when you are enveloped in the effort of improving what you do.
Pricing:
- Little Havana Walking Tour – $60 pp
- Wynwood Walking Tour – $50 pp
- SoBe Walking Tour – $50 pp
- Cigar Rolling Experience – $100 pp
- Vegan Farmer’s Market Tour – $80 pp
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.guidefathertours.com
- Instagram: GuidefatherTours / The.Guidefather
Image Credits
Tomas Heslop – @TH.Visuals
